


Kiss it all better

by RipFandomTrash



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Character death on one ending, F/M, False character death on other ending, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, I hate myself but not that much thanks, Reader also has prostetic/druid arm, Reader can Fight, Reader knew Shiro before he was taken, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Straight (for once), Two Endings, captive reader, implied sex, might be more - Freeform, reader has ptsd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-03-14 16:47:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13594257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RipFandomTrash/pseuds/RipFandomTrash
Summary: Shiro and y/n have been separated since he was taken by the Galra, what happens when they're (you're) reunited?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Probably the first long, straight fanfic I've written . Let me know if I missed any tags and I'll add them asap.

Run, run, run.   
The word was being screamed in my mind, my heart racing and pounding in my chest so loud I could barely hear the world around me. It had taken so long...so long to time everything, to figure out which guard would be where. Which spots would be vacant at which second. Every second of my capture had led to this moment. All the beatings, the mind games, the days spent alone with no food or water. My arm still throbbed at the joint where flesh had become metal. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, how long I’d been captured. All I knew was that I had to escape, get off this prison station. My legs throbbed from the activity. Malnourishment was a bitch.  
By now I’d made it to the loading bay, currently crouched down behind a stack of crates. My lungs burned, air coming slowly between struggled and muffled coughs. The adrenaline had only gotten me so far, my entire body starting to shake from the effort it took to stand. When the next guard passed, I launched myself to the next crate, working my way closer and closer to a single person pod-ship. I hadn’t graduated from the top of the garrison flight school for nothing. All the explorations, all the time alone in the vastness of space. All for one thing. For one man. For one shred of a dream. I’d known there was more to Shiro disappearing then the news let on, more to Katie and her family.   
The only thing I’d done differently was keep my head down, standing out in my scores and operational abilities. Hopefully now it would all be worth it. I ran a hand through my (H/L) (H/C) hair, getting a grip as I slid into the Pilot's seat. My fingers worked on muscle memory, the galra ships set up very similarly to earth's. Within minutes, I’d set the air seals and released the pod ship from the landing port. Setting the harness in place over my shoulder and across my chest, I pulled the release lever and launched the pod ship into space. Fingers flying over the controls, I frantically forced the small ship into hyperspeed, getting as far away from the prison as possible and hopefully causing a shockwave big enough to take their systems down for a little while.   
Once I’d gotten far enough away, my heart began to slow from its’ thundering pace, my pained body relaxing in the process. Before long the comfort of a padded leather chair and decent heat from the ship regulator, lulled me into a dead sleep, destination set for a moon orbiting the planet of KELT-1b in the Andromeda system. The only noise was the quiet beeping of the computers as exhaustion finally claimed my body and mind, dragging me to the depths of unconsciousness.

\---- Shiro POV----  
The castle had been bustling, trainings, drills and security checks seemingly never ending. Now, everyone was in the screen room, a distress beacon catching the radar on their way through the Andromeda system. Running my metal hand through my hair, I watched Pidge move in on the signal. Looking to Allura, I spoke casually, “I'll go check it out. Looks like it's coming from a pod ship. If it crashed there could be injured survivors.” Allura gave a nod, “Alright. Make it quick and be careful. We can't risk too many setbacks.” I didn't take long to suit up and get to my lion. Talking quietly, I leaned back in the Pilot's seat. “Let's go check it out.” My lion gave small indications against my mind of where we should land and what to avoid. It didn't take long for us to land near the pod ship. Well. What was left of it. The pod was crunched on the bare planet. It's surface rocky and dry. Exiting my lion and carefully approaching, I brought up my inner camera and radio system, talking to my team. “It's barely in tact. If anyone survived they probably don't have long if they aren't prepared for the cold.” The responses were muffled but mainly, make it quick and be sure no one's there. I hadn't needed to rip a door open, the damage was bad enough that the main entrance was hanging open, barely attached. Making my way to the cockpit, stepping over debris, I called out loud enough for anyone to hear me. “Anyone here!?” With no response, I kept walking in, stopping as I realized it was a Galra ship. Glancing over the interior once more, I paused at the sight of a smaller figure crumpled up on the ground, a sheet of metal liner from the pod partially covering the form. Switching the camera view so they could see, I carefully moved the sheet off of the body, my heart skipping a beat as I saw the figures face, her face.   
She was in more or less brown rags, torn and dirty. Her skin pale and hanging to her bones, almost no mass to her body. Her cheeks and eyes were sunken in, her forehead bleeding. But when I moved her face to better look, I knew it was her. I didn't know how she'd gotten there, how it was even possible but here she was. Keith was the first to break the silence, as he was the only other person who would have recognized her, “Hey...Shiro. I think that's (Y/N)...” Confused looks were shared by the remaining paladins and Alteans. I didn't speak, couldn't speak. Gently scooping her up in my arms, my gaze went to her left metal arm and I felt myself pale. I didn't quite run but I was far from slow as I went back to my lion and then to the Castle. I never once let her go or fully set her down. Once back on the Castle, I'd carried (Y/N) to the medical wing. Keith and Lance were already there, setting up a capsule while Pidge and Hunk worked on getting the scanners going. My every movement was careful, so careful, so gentle. Letting the gel engulf her in the capsule, I could only stare and wait for the scan results. After the obvious, she had signs of bruising on her ribs, back and arms. There were ridges on her ribs where they'd healed from breaks. Her body was beyond malnourished. Barely more than skin and bones. The capsule would have it works cut out for it and they'd need to have her on dietary supplements until she gained weight back. Her (H/C) (H/L) was dull and grease slick.   
\----~TimeskipbecauseIdontwanna~ Reader POV~   
Gravity claimed my body, every thing feeling like a ton of bricks. My mind was slow almost like it was being dragged through mud. Light burned my eyes even though they were closed. Trying to groan and cover my eyes, the noise made me begin to cough hard, like mucus was being expelled from my throat. Someone was holding me upright, their one arm wrapped around my back and the other patting it, the contact cold to my skin. Their voice was on the deeper side, calm but muffled, my senses muddled. The male helped my breathing ease once everything was coughed up. His hand gently cupped my face, making me flinch at the shocking amount of cold. Letting him help me, he tilted my head to the side and let it set for a few minutes before turning it to the other side. As the gel drained from my ears, they began to ring as they adjusted to the sounds of my surroundings. The light dimmed a little and my eyes began to adjust as I fully opened them. At first everything was white. The figure next to me was dressed in shades of grey and black. A tuft of white in his hair. My ears finally began to catch up as he spoke again, this time to me.   
“(Y/N), how are you feeling? Do you want some water?” His voice registered in my mind and I couldn’t help but let out a bittersweet laugh. Of course, now I were hallucinating. Playing along with the visions, I spoke quietly as my voice wasn't fully back. “Oh peachy. Hallucinating. But I don't feel like I've been hit by a truck now. Of course now of all times I'd be seeing you. My sweet Shiro. Maybe I've finally died and met you again in...well. This could be heaven, it's bright enough. Maybe they were right.” I could feel him turn to look at me fully as I let my eyes close. His weight shifted as he let me lay back on a metal table. “(Y/N). You're alive. And I'm real.” I could feel his warmth as he moved closer, hovering over me. “Do you want me to prove it to you?” Confusion settled on my face and I spoke quietly once more, raising an eyebrow. “How do you plan on doing that?” He didn't say anything else before his lips softly covered mine. They were so soft, so warm, so familiar. I didn't feel the weight of my left arm as it slid into his hair. The kiss was short, too short. Letting my eyes flutter open, the tears were instantaneous as I took in his every feature. Shiro. My Shiro. Alive and right in front of me. How long had it been? His hands were gentle on my cheeks as he gently wiped away my falling tears. He placed a soft kiss to my forehead. “Come on (Y/N). We need to get you someone to eat. You've been through a lot.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader struggles to adjust to her new surroundings and finds an uncontrolled out let.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be some grammar errors, let me know if you see any and I'll fix them.

The kiss was short, too short. Letting my eyes flutter open, the tears were instantaneous as I took in his every feature. Shiro. My Shiro. Alive and right in front of me. How long had it been? His hands were gentle on my cheeks as he gently wiped away my falling tears. He placed a soft kiss to my forehead. “Come on (Y/N). We need to get you someone to eat. You've been through a lot.”  
During the next week, Shiro had taken to watching over me like a hawk. The food goo had been entirely disgusting to me but not the worst whenever Hunk tampered with it. Keith and Pidge had taken to me quickly, showing me weapons, tech gear and anything they could think of. I’d seen some of Lance’s flirtation but none of it ever directed towards me, I was claimed and all of them knew it. Coran, with his wonderful mustache, had helped Shiro get me back up to regular vitamin levels, muscle and necessary fats filling my figure once more, my face no longer sunken in. Allura was nice, polite even, helping me get clothing and my own armor, though they saw no need to give me a bayard.   
Some nights were easier than others, Shiro’s kisses constant, his embrace comforting. But even those weren’t enough to stop the bad nights. Many of them consisted of me waking up in a cold, heavy, sweat, screaming and thrashing against Shiro’s chest. His hold was often the only thing that stopped me from injuring myself during these terrors. The flashes of nightmares that lingered in my waking were often of the druids, the removal of my arm and Zarkon and Haggar’s voices sometimes it would be flashes of the tortures they’d put me through, trying everything they could to get information on Shiro. I never cracked. Never gave them what they wanted. It only made the nightmares that much worse. I couldn’t recall how long it had been since my arm had been replaced by the metal limb. I honestly didn’t even know how long it had been since I was taken.   
Shiro’s metal arm was wrapped around me securely, darkness enveloping us. His breathing was fairly even, quiet. His chest was warm against my back, raising and falling rhythmically, in one two, out three four. Gently resting my own metal hand on this joint of his metal elbow, I moved the fleshless thumb over his would be skin in a soothing manner, unsure of how to feel. I could still feel the contact as if it were my own flesh but my eyes and its weight screamed that it was a lie, that it was fake. Shiro shifted a little bit, aware of the contact. I kept my voice quiet as I spoke, hoping to gently pull him from his sleep. “Shiro, love, I have a question.” His breathing hitched the moment I spoke, his weight shifting to the arm underneath of him as he leaned over, looking down at me through the darkness. “What is it (y/n)? Is everything alright?” The concern was rich in his voice, its normal deepness enhanced by his recent sleep. Shifting with his movements to look up at him, I spoke quietly still, meeting his charcoal gaze. “How long has it been since you went missing? The last time I went to look for you was six months after you and the Holts went missing...that was when it happened...I just...I don’t know how long I was with them..I want to know.” Shiro frowned a little and gently ran a hand through my (h/l) hair, brushing it away from my face before he spoke. “I was with the galra for a year. I got out of there a couple months ago.” Doing the math in my head, I frowned a little, speaking quietly without really thinking about it. “Eight months..” Shiro raised an eyebrow before the realization hit him, his frown deepening. Leaning closer to me, he moved us so that he was laying over me, his weight supported by his arms on either side of my slimmer body. “You don’t have to worry about them anymore. You’re safe with us. I won’t let anything bad like that ever happen to you again. I promise.” Taking in his words, I gave a small nod, damn he was believable. His body seemed to dwarf mine and the awareness of how close our lips were was nearing insufferable, like he was teasing me in a way only he could. There must have been a type of glint in my eye, one he knew well, because it wasn’t until then that he sealed the gap between our lips in a soft, warm kiss. Never demanding, never harsh, always soft and gentle and safe.   
Whether it was from the added stress of our topic or the lack of contact in that way recently, the kiss soon became a wildfire. It started soft and warm, like a lighter, warming the edges of our skin and lips. Within moments it became an inferno, soft moans echoing in the room but from who it didn’t matter, it wasn’t clear. His skin added more kindling to the flame with every bit of contact it made to mine. Some amounts of silence were necessary as we didn’t need the entire castle to hear but what we got away with we treasured, the smell of sweat and hormones soon filled the room, our lips smothering the noises in our throats. The need for a shower afterwards soothed the edge in our bodies, putting our minds at a temporary ease before breakfast.   
By the time we’d both dressed and gone to the dining room, the other paladins were just starting to come out, Allura and Coran already at the table with plates upon plates of food goo set out. Shiro and I had both come out in armor, my own armor being a deep purple color, similar to that of a pansy. Breakfast was the easy part of the day, calm and humorous as the paladins and alteans came out of their sleep hazed minds. During the clean up duration, I’d decided on my plan for the day, confident enough that I wasn’t glued to Shiro’s side as I navigated the different sections of the castle.  
Entering the training deck, I looked over the weapons they had for useage, most of them wood or metal. Not being particularly pleased a first glance, I swept over them again and grinned at the result. Sliding a set of titanium brass knuckles over my fists, I clenched my hands a few times, getting a feel for them once more. The fit was secure but not too tight, a sort of taboo irony hit me, the left brass knuckle over my mental digits clashed in a way that said it shouldn't have felt cooler on that hand. These ones had the almost metallic rainbow look to them, the grips small enough to allow my hands to close naturally and still have enough room to comfortably hold the hilt of a dagger. The daggers that absorbed my interest came in a holster that attached to the hip of my armor, three of them in one downwards angled holder with two leather like loops on either side for the longest daggers of the set. The two that were meant to be drawn first, a set of five in all, were already in my palms. The blades themselves were a very well balanced obsidian color. So well taken care of that I could see my own reflection against the surface. ‘Well. Let’s see what I can still do.’ The thought registered in my mind right before my voice rang out in the room, “Start training level one.” The systems registered and an electric sort of zip sounded right before the training droid dropped from the ceiling.   
Its bright blue blade seemed weightless in it’s hand as it registered me and took its running start at me. Letting out a quick breath, I took my position, my body moving on muscle memory to keep my weight balanced and ready. The droid swung and my daggers were there in a heartbeat, my left blade flush against the droids as my right swung out in a flash, tearing into its metal chest. It dissipated seconds after and it wasn't until then that I realized my arm had been shaking. I wasn't scared, I knew I could stop the sequence at any time, I was excited, adrenaline rushing through my blood. “Begin training sequence two!” The sound registered again and the next one dropped, no hesitation held in this one as it flung my dagger from my left hand, my body barely moving fast enough to evade the blow. With my left hand now empty, I closed my fist and slammed in into the droids blade arm, causing its’ own blade to stumble from its grip as it momentarily loosened, my right blade there to fling it from the droids metal hand and in the direction of my own discarded blade. When my left arm began to glow a similar color to my armor, it was then that I remembered my left arm wasn't even flesh. My distraction was ended as the droid slammed into me, sending me tumbling across the floor. Gritting my teeth in a wince, I tore off the brass knuckles on my left ‘hand’ and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade that flashed by my head and into the mat covered floor. Arm still glowing, I let out a frustrated growl and swung at the droid once more, my fist cutting through it as a hot blade would butter. It dissipated again and I got to my feet, dropping the daggers next to the rack but still holding my right one. “Begin training sequence three!” Dagger in hand, I waited for the beep, the second the droid hit the floor, I hurtled my dagger, hitting my mark and embedding it into the droids metal chest. Momentarily feeling better about myself, I huffed and began the next sequence. By now it began sending more than one droid at me, now releasing them in pairs. The sequence picked up on its own, keeping the droids coming. Every time a new one came at me, I didn't see a droid, I saw a Galra soldier trying to drag me back. I saw an enemy trying to separate me from Shiro again. Now I fought with a rage that made my ears ring drowning everything out that wasn't metal and movement. “End training sequence!” The droids all dropped and dissipated but it wasn't me who'd made the call. Whipping around to the voice, I saw Shiro standing in front of the door, concern littering his features. Sweat was dripping down my face, coating my hair and neck. Sweat. And tears. Not tears of sadness, but of rage. Releasing a shaky breath, I dropped a dagger I hadn't realized I'd been clutching, my arms shaking with ebbing adrenaline. Peeling the knuckles off my right fist,I let them clatter to the ground and approached Shiro, purple fading out of my vision as he wrapped his own metal hand around mine. Exiting the training deck, I blinked in surprise, I hadn't noticed my audience while I'd been fighting. Lance was the first to break their awed silence. “You're even better than Mullet..” Keith frowned a little but made no comment. My own response hit me as I grinned, “Well someone had to teach him how to fight. It sure as hell wasn't Shiro. Shiro was either in the garrison or space-napped.” Shiro and Keith both huffed but Pidge, odd as it was, seemed to have a sparkle in her eye, wanting to say something but staying silent. Hunk’s jaw would’ve been on the floor if it could drop any further. Coran, whimsical as he was, spoke with an intellectual manner, “You’re the first we’ve seen hit level twenty one since King Alfor’s time.” Allura however, looked less than pleased, concerned but, annoyed maybe?   
It wasn’t until after Shiro and I went back to his room that the damage of the session actually hit me. My joints ached and throbbed, especially my left shoulder, and my right hand was swollen and sore from the impact of metal against metal in my more tender fleshed hand. Sitting me down on the bed, Shiro stayed silent as he carefully removed my armor, my pale t-shirt plastered to my torso with sweat, my black pants no better. His hands, metal or otherwise, were gentle as they ghosted over my skin. Flinching, my gaze shot to where the pain registered in my left side, a decent size bruise starting that could have put a melon to shame in size, its’ color varying from black to purple. The paladin’s eyes clouded with worry, his voice soft. “(Y/N), I’ll help get cleaned up with a shower but….we should have you do a full body scan. Okay love?” Giving a small nod, I let Shiro help me into the bathroom and remove the rest of my clothing. He started the shower for me and gently kissed my forehead before stepping out. “Just holler if you need something okay? I’ll wait here for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all I have at the moment. I'll be adding more soon, leave any comments you want on how I can improve and any ideas on where you want this to go, I already know where I want it to go but I'd be more than happy to incorporate other ideas.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader reveals some things to Allura. Shiro's an eavesdropper but a planner .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'm sorry it took me so long to update...heh..might get more interesting this chapter. Let me know what you think. I'll be working on better description as best I can)

“(Y/N), I’ll help get cleaned up with a shower but….we should have you do a full body scan. Okay love?” Giving a small nod, I let Shiro help me into the bathroom and remove the rest of my clothing. He started the shower for me and gently kissed my forehead before stepping out. “Just holler if you need something okay? I’ll wait here for you.”   
The shower was slow going and more than relatively painful. Moving alone got worse by the second. The more the adrenaline faded, the more my nerves reacted the injuries the droids inflicted. How long had I even been fighting to hit that level? I vaguely remembered Shiro saying that Alfor had been Allura’s father during one of his briefings. As for what specifically had happened to him, I hadn’t wanted to ask. Closing my eyes, I let the hot water ebb away at my now stiff left shoulder, wincing as I rolled it back. Eventually getting out and getting some clothing on, I put my hair up in a ponytail, surprised at how much it had grown since I’d been taken care of. Pulling at the hem of my black shirt, I walked out of the bathroom and to the medical wing, somehow managing not to limp despite the protest of weight on my joints.   
The scan later revealed a cracked rib that was already weak from a previous break, and a sprain in my right wrist from the brass knuckles. This of course didn’t go without a scolding from Shiro, and to my annoyance, Allura. Currently she stood in front of me with her arms cross, going on about how I should be more careful and keep my control. It took everything I had not to respond on how my business was none of hers and she should but out, it wasn’t like I’d damaged anything in the Castle. 

\-----~(TimeskipbecauseI’mlazy)~-----

Near a month had passed, the Galra attacks and raids on Zarkon’s ships become more frequent. Shiro, Keith and myself were training almost daily, if we weren’t training, they were destroying fleets, myself helping Coran and Allura keep the castle stable. I did my best to avoid Allura, not finding her pleasant to be around at times. Things between us weren’t as tense when we worked together but now, sitting in front of her at the table in the dining room, alone nonetheless, something about her made my fists clenched in irritation. Silence tore between us like an open wound as I waited for her to scrutinize me on one thing or another. Watching her shift in her seat, I leaned back in my own seat, arms crossing over my chest as she spoke.   
“I realize that you and Shiro are...closer than most. I’ve also come to realize how little I know about you. And with that well..I’d like to know more. You’re part of our team now and I feel its essential we work on the walls between us.” Frowning a little, I let the words sink it and tilted my head to the right.   
“So...you want my sob story?” The words left with a bite to them, one I hadn’t intended to be as harsh as it was. Hesitating a bit, Allura gave one small nod and crossed her own arms, waiting for me to hand it over like it was deserved on her end. Like she was entitled to it. Letting out a slow sigh, I shook my head and released a bitter laugh. “Alright. Fine. What do you want to know? What I went through with the Galra? How I met Shiro? What my childhood was like? Why I wake up screaming even though he’s by my side?” The longer I spoke, the more bitter the words came out until my heart was pounding in my chest, my temper rising and erupting like steam from a screaming kettle. Allura stopped then, her face shifting to an expression of guilt before she spoke.  
“Whatever I’ve done to make your angry so prominent with me, I truly do apologize. But as for what you’ve said. That would be correct. I want to know everything about you that you are willing to share.” Even with how soft her voice was, I froze at her response, her words a slap in the face. Maybe my defense was unnecessary, maybe she actually did value me as part of the team. Guilt slammed into me, a ton of bricks on my heart and gut.   
“I...I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.” Letting my pride out in a slow breath, I gave a small nod and started again, Allura waiting patiently. “Alright..well. I can’t say that I had a particularly difficult childhood. If anything I was spoiled. As an only child I was given near everything I wanted. I didn’t have to worry about my future as my parents were high in ways of money. The only problem was, well. I didn’t have friends. I was selfish and mean. Honestly it still surprises me that Shiro even reached out to me to begin with...I met him my junior year, at the time he was a senior with ambitions that reached the stars.”   
Shaking my head a little, I suppressed a laugh at the realization of how true the statement was. “It didn’t take long for us to start hanging out, we clicked quickly and meeting him and Keith really changed my perspective on things. They’d been through a lot and were at the top of all their classes, in line for the garrison. It didn’t take long for me to see why they wanted to go so bad and so I decided that I wanted to go with Shiro. That I would follow him anywhere. And it wasn’t easy, I went from barely skimming by to straight A’s. By the end of Shiro’s senior year he’d asked me out and we started at the Garrison, of course it took me a year longer being an underclassman, Keith a year behind me.”   
Allura only listened quietly, taking in everything I said.   
“When we were all at the Garrison, I managed to make the top in my class, my scores mirroring Shiro’s in everything. He never slowed down for me and I didn’t want him to. I didn’t want him to pity me or get distracted by me. I wanted to help him in everything he dreamed of, I wanted to be the best I could in order to join him because I’d earned it, not because it was gifted to me. We’d both made fighter class but when his mission rolled around, two people had immediately filled the other spots. Instead of begging him to stay, I begged him to go, to live out everything he dreamed of doing. So. He did. And while he was on the mission, Keith and I busted our tails to hold our own ranks and train until we couldn’t think straight.” Letting out a shaky breath, I took a moment to gather my thoughts, the pain of the following events starting to resurface.   
“Well...when we got the report that the mission had failed and that Shiro and his team were killed, three of us never believed it for a second. Keith, myself and Pidge. I hadn’t met Pidge personally but I watched her, I knew it was her after she cut her hair and worked her way up in other ways, fighting the system. After I finished and Keith dropped out, they let me start doing normal patrols. Granted it was never very far but after I got a feel for it, I took off in one of the fighter ships. The coordinates of where they disappeared were easy enough to hack from the command center...so naturally, that was where I started. The thing was...there was another ship there. A Galra cruiser. That was almost six months after they disappeared. And well...Naturally I didn’t stand a chance.”

\----Shiro POV---

Leaning silently against the wall of the dining room, I didn't care to move or release a breath that was harsher than absolutely necessary. Listening to (y/n) speak, my heart felt like it was breaking all over I again. I never truly realized why she had pushed so hard to go to the Garrison. It wasn't because she dreamed of the things I did, it was because she dreamed of helping my dreams come true, all of them. It hasn't occurred to me how much I had impacted her life.   
Letting out a slow breath, I crossed my arms over my chest and focused on the conversation again, (y/n) speaking still.   
“After I was captured the Galra tried everything they could to get more information from me. It got especially bad the last..mm. Maybe two months I was there..Now, I know why. It was because Shiro had escaped. They didn't know anything aside from that I knew who he was….and believe me. They're relentless.” From the sound of it, (Y/n) had stood up and turned her back to Allura. The soft hiss of clothing over skin was the only indicator that she'd shown Allura the marks. I'd seen them too, had my suspicions but never pushed. Her back was littered with scars, some as thick as ropes which I could only assume were from whips, others were slimmer, from cuts and others were darker,thicker. Burn scars. Her wrists still had scaring from the shackles they had her in.   
My heart seeming to sink in my chest, I let out a sharp breath and realized too late that the girls had gone quiet. 

\----Reader POV---  
Hearing his deeper release of breath, I caught Allura’s eye, both our faces flush with emotion of what I'd told her and my own a mix of embarrassment and anger. How much had he heard?   
“It's not polite to eavesdrop Shiro.” At the realization he’d been caught, Shiro sulked in, his head hanging like a scolded puppy.   
“I-...as true as that is I am still allowed to worry.” His lips lifted in a tilted smirk, his eyes still holding the concern he fought to hide. 

A month had passed since then, the training become even more intense as the upcoming batter drew nearer. Stress rode every conversation and thought. And with the popular opinion of the paladins and Coran, Shiro had started to teach me how to pilot the black lion. At first I had rejected the idea, as had the lion. Being Shiro’s backup plan, I wasn't sure everyone would be on board. Essentially the plan was, in worst case scenario, if something happened to Shiro I was to pilot black and keep the fight raging. Until then, if something didn't happen, I would fight where I was needed, either on the castle, keeping defenses going, on board a rebel ship with Matt’s crew or on my own to help take out Galra ships.   
Now, I could pilot black almost as well as Shiro. It was nothing like any of the ships on earth, bring a whole new meaning to the term Alien. The mind link it allowed me to share had also linked Shiro and I..and to our dismay, Zarkon. As the fight drew closer, mine and Shiro’s nightmares grew worse. Even our company in bed wasn't enough to dull the terror in the first waking seconds. More than once one of us had woken to the other struggling in their terror or rage filled sleep, after one was awoken from the mutiny of our minds, sleep rarely came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Let me know if I missed any tags and I'll add them asap)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the people who want the sad ending, read no further. If you'd like the happy ending, I will post the continuation after this, it might not be up tonight but yeah..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for being so patient. If you're just here for the sad end, read no further. The happy end will continue in the next chapter where this one left off.

A month had passed since then, the training become even more intense as the upcoming batter drew nearer. Stress rode every conversation and thought. And with the popular opinion of the paladins and Coran, Shiro had started to teach me how to pilot the black lion. At first I had rejected the idea, as had the lion. Being Shiro’s backup plan, I wasn't sure everyone would be on board. Essentially the plan was, in worst case scenario, if something happened to Shiro I was to pilot black and keep the fight raging. Until then, if something didn't happen, I would fight where I was needed, either on the castle, keeping defenses going, on board a rebel ship with Matt’s crew or on my own to help take out Galra ships.   
Now, I could pilot black almost as well as Shiro. It was nothing like any of the ships on earth, bring a whole new meaning to the term Alien. The mind link it allowed me to share to communicate had also linked Shiro and I..and to our dismay, Zarkon. As the fight drew closer, mine and Shiro’s nightmares grew worse. Even our company in bed wasn't enough to dull the terror in the first waking seconds. More than once one of us had woken to the other struggling in their terror or rage filled sleep, after one was awoken from the mutiny of our minds, sleep rarely came back.   
The gathering of information never went quickly enough. After Allura’s capture on a infiltration with Shiro, panic was almost inevitable. My heart broke for Coran, I understood his pain, all of us did. Within hours we’d already devised a plan to get the Princess back, seemingly fool proof. But, I couldn’t help but think the risk was too great, cold or not. At that, everyone prepared the lions for battle, bayards in hand.   
My own weaponry consisted of the daggers I’d trained with, a set of dual wielding swords that crossed in an ‘X’ on my back, and a glove that covered my right hand and stretched up to my shoulder, sealing with the inside of my armor. All of which Pidge had modified for me. The daggers would return to my holster once they embedded in a target, making collecting easier. The swords were now infused with a nano body that mimicked the technology of mine and Shiro’s synthetics arms. The full arm glove on my right arm acted as a form of protection for my right hand in case I had to brawl my way through a fight. It was as hard as the synthetic but fused with my skin, air tight but ventilated so my skin could breathe without exposure to the air, or lack of, outside the castle.   
With Voltron fully formed and Coran helping pilot the Castle, I stood behind Shiro’s chair, the power completely out in Zarkon’s ship. Shiro, steady and confident, gave the order.   
“We’ve gotta act fast, the power will only be out for twenty minutes.” With some minor further instruction, Voltron began attacking the ships weapon and defense systems. Almost to the last point of attack, the bridge, a dark wormhole opened under Voltron. Energy erupting from the wormhole and slamming into the lions’ systems. A cry came from all of them, myself included. Not being directly connected to the systems, it seemed I was the only one still conscious. Panic gripped me like a noose, tightening around my every sense. Shiro. Shiro wasn’t moving.   
“Shiro!” Cupping his cheeks, his name poured from my lips in a cry. He needed to be okay. He needed to wake up. Zarkon wasn’t going to leave us forever. Static crackled in my ears, coms were down. A sharp gasp escaped Shiro’s lips and he commed to the castle.   
“We’re alive. Voltron..it’s not working.” I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath until it rushed out all at once. All of us directed our attention to Zarkon’s cargo bay. Voltron still wouldn’t respond and Zarkon...well...he had a ship of his own, Voltron’s size. Allura’s voice sounded on the com.   
“You need to get out of there. Another blast and you may not survive.”   
Shiro bit back. “Voltron’s still not responding!” At that we both bit back a groan as Zarkon’s power flashed into our minds. Too strong. He’s going to be too strong. Before we could register the rest of what was happening, Allura had moved the Castle to attack, a beam forcing his own ship back until it reflected to the Castle, her scream echoing in our ears.   
Shiro pulled it together, his voice loud and clear. “Everyone listen! We have to fight. We have to channel all our energy. Visualize five becoming one. We have to focus everything we have into moving Voltron.” He let out a small breath, tension high. Responses rang out from each of them, lions powering up once more. Zarkon seemed just as ready, a weapon enlarging from his left robots arm. Colliding, both robots had swords drawn. All I could do was keep standing, my hands on Shiro’s shoulders. Every move he made, I mirrored before I realized I had. Minds synced, I realized I was seeing through his eyes, my mind reinforcing his and helping keep his focus where it was needed. I could feel my own energy being pulled into Voltron, strengthening its swings and defense, its speed. Every blow that connected, every beam countered by a shield let off a flurry of sparks. The paladins had never been in a stronger fight, rage and determination fueled our every move, every thought directed and the down bringing of Zarkon’s rule. Another close connected blow brought the robots in close. We could see Zarkon through his window plating and feel him attack at our minds.   
With another fierce attack on Voltron, the lions went into a temporary shock, separating again with screams of protest. Except this time, Shiro was the only one temporarily out. Comming in to the paladins, I forced down my anger.   
“Something’s wrong with Shiro! Keep Zarkon away from the black lion! I’ll do what I can!” Gripping his shoulders once more, I focused everything I had on Shiro’s mind. I had to drag him back to reality, back to now. Letting my presence softly envelope his mind, I kept my emotions towards him as they’d always been, soft and warm. Caressing his consciousness with mine, I slowly pulled him back, awakening him from his momentary coma. The paladins were working together as best they could, their cries sounding over our comm. With a small nod, Shiro gave me one last smile, our minds still working as one. His body did the work as we maneuvered the lion upright once more and charged forward at Zarkon with full speed, seeing it from an outside perspective yet feeling it, Shiro and the black lions minds merged as one, the lion’s form changing as the bond grew and intensified. At first I braced for impact, unsure of what they were doing until it happened. The black lion merged through Zarkons ship, Shiro now holding the black bayard.   
His voice went out to the other paladins. “I. I have Zarkons bayard.” Keith was the first to respond, his tone matter-of-fact.   
“You mean you have /your/ bayard.” 

The moment Keith’s voice hit our ears, all we could hear was Zarkon, his laugh echoing around us. But now, we were in a void, surrounded by black nothingness until his figure appeared. SIde by side, Shiro on my right, we prepared for a fight. His hulking form stared us down one at a time, lingering on me. His voice sent a chill down to my core.   
“Oh. So you do know our dear Champion. And quite well it would seem. You know. I have a vendetta against liars.” With no other warning, he attacked, his sword sweeping just short of us. Both of our arms were glowing a deep purple now. Our movement synchronized, duck, dodge parry, strike, switch. We quickly developed a pattern, staying out of each others way but having enough room to move.   
Zarkon never let his smirk falter, the second we went for another strike, he used Shiro’s momentum to fling him away like a ragdoll, alone for a moment, I faltered to help Shiro, a bad move on my end. The second my concentration broke, Zarkon gripped my neck, lifting me effortlessly off the ground and stopping my air. Even though I knew it was all in our minds, I knew it was real. Grabbing for my sword, the movement was short lived as he slammed me into the ground, a small crater forming around me.   
Gasping for breath, my vision was going in and out just enough for me to watch Zarkon draw his blade over me. He didn’t give me a second glance as he watched Shiro. Shiro whose face had drained of all its blood. Shiro who was frozen in place. Shiro who knew no matter how fast he moved, it wouldn’t be fast enough. His voice, barely a whisper, seemed deafening even with the blood pounding in my ears.   
“Don’t. Zarkon. I’m begging you. Let her go.” A sneer hit the emperor's lips as he drove the blade into my chest and stomach. It didn’t take much with the size of the blade he used. Immediate pain coursed through me and we were back in the black lion, a scream of pain coursing through my throat as I hit the ground. Shiro flung himself from his seat, Voltron separating as he commed the others.   
“Keep Zarkon away from the black lion!” His face blurred above me, a small smile hitting my lips.   
“Shiro-” The second I tried to speak, blood erupted from my mouth in a harsh cough. Panic was setting in his features, his hand enveloping mine as his metal hand caressed my cheek. Speaking barely above a whisper, I fought a cough long enough to speak, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Kiss..it all..better..I’m..n-not read-y...to go..” Panting hard, I closed my eyes to try and fight the pain, I could feel the warm pool of blood, my blood, forming under my back.   
(Shiro POV)  
“Shh...shhh…(y/n) I’m here...I’ll kill him for this..” My voice soft, I gently kissed her forehead, her skin already chilling to ice. Tears dripped off my chin and onto her armor as I leaned down and gave her one last gentle kiss, her lips moving in the words of ‘I love you’ without a sound escaping. Cradling her tightly in my arms, I heard the last pained breath leave her lips.   
I couldn’t leave her here on the cold ground, keeping her close to me, I grabbed my bayard and commed over to the paladins.   
“Form Voltron! We’re taking this bastard out!” Within seconds of us forming Voltron, I engaged my bayard with full force, letting out a battle cry as we slammed forwards into Zarkon, both sides taking damage. A blast shook everything and everyone, and with it, my mind went to nothingness.   
(Keith POV)  
The force of the shock had sent everyone apart again, overcome with the victory, we made quick work of collecting the black lion and heading to the Castle. Everything seemed fine, maybe they just had another comm shortage from the blast. Once we wormholed away and got on board, the rest of the paladins and I rushed aboard the black lion, the second the cockpit opened, stunned silence slammed us like a brick wall. Shiro was gone and (y/n)....her blood covered everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the best writer out there. I'm sorry if you didn't like it. I had something more detailed but was using the show for reference and realized too late I was using the wrong battle. So I got kinda mad and yea. Please let me know what you think in the comments.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Those of you who wanted the happy ending, it is being worked on now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry it took so long for me to update. I'll have more to say at the end.

“Form Voltron! We’re taking this bastard out!” Within seconds of us forming Voltron, I engaged my bayard with full force, letting out a battle cry as we slammed forwards into Zarkon, both sides taking damage. A blast shook everything and everyone, and with it, my mind went to nothingness.   
(Keith POV)  
The force of the shock had sent everyone apart again, overcome with the victory, we made quick work of collecting the black lion and heading to the Castle. Everything seemed fine, maybe they just had another comm shortage from the blast. Once we wormholed away and got on board, the rest of the paladins and I rushed aboard the black lion, the second the cockpit opened, stunned silence slammed us like a brick wall. Shiro was gone and (y/n)....her blood covered everything.   
Lance and I scooped (y/n) up between us and ran for the medical bay. It wouldn’t do us any good if she was already dead when we got there. Unmoving, we rushed to slip her armor off and place her into the gel, Allura had prepared it while we were on our way up. Letting the thick gel envelope her, the technology went to work bringing her back from death’s grasp. The information panel showed a small blip that represented her pulse, alive but only just.   
Outside of the capsule, it was chaos. Scans of the black lion and nearby areas came back negative. We had defeated Zarkon but at the cost of Shiro and almost (y/n). I don’t remember who was screaming what, noise rang against my ears, between utter confusion I could barely make out what was said. 

“We have to go back!” 

“We have to find Shiro!”

“We can’t make another jump like that!”

“We don’t know who else is still alive or if we even succeeded!”

“Shiro could be dead!”

The ringing began to overwhelm me again before I couldn’t help my own exclaim.

“Enough! This isn’t helping anyone! We need to pull it together or Voltron is nothing!”

The outburst was enough for silence to settle over the team. No one would make eye contact, either looking at the ground or sucked into the panic of their own minds. Letting out a slow breath, I straightened my posture and spoke loud enough to draw their attention.   
“We need to take a moment to breathe. (y/n) is in critical condition, Shiro is missing and Zarkon has been defeated, at least for the time being. Now is the time we need to pull our resources together and free other systems from the Galra. If we fall apart now, and Zarkon is still out there, all of this will be for nothing. If Shiro and (y/n) die from this, it will all be for nothing if we give up. I agree. We need to keep a lookout for Shiro, any sign of him, but that can’t be our only priority right now. Maybe with (y/n), she’ll be able to help us find him when she recovers. We can do this.”  
If space crickets existed, now would have been the time for them. Allura was the first to respond, giving a small nod before she spoke.   
“Keith, you’re right. We need to pull together now more than ever.”  
The rest of the group only gave nods of agreement. Looking around the group, meeting their eyes one by one, I gave a final nod. “Alright, let’s get cleaned up and get some rest. I want someone by (y/n) 24/7 until she’s recovered. I’ll take the first round, who’s going to replace me after?”  
“I will.” Pidge raised her hand, remorse heavy in her voice. It was clear to most of us that Pidge had grown fond of (y/n) like the rest of the Castle’s group. Giving her a small nod, I turned back to look at the capsule. With a little luck she’d be back in the game within a few days.   
-Reader Pov-  
The rapid beeping and free falling feeling was becoming a reoccuring event that I soon came to recognize as the medical bay. A solid set of arms caught me on either side, firm but not as firm as Shiro. Shiro. Where was Shiro? Trying to get the question out, a bout of coughing hit me while my lungs expelled the capsule gel from my airways.   
One of the hands holding me up moved to my back, helping me stay upright and finish getting the gel out of my lungs. Taking a second to breathe, I slowly moved one arm to rub the gel away from my face, gasping a little from the cold shock of my metal hand. Once I could open my eyes and squint from the light, my other senses began to catch up, the dull ringing in my ears fading into the silence of a very patient Lance and Keith.   
“Keith...where’s Shiro?” The drop in their expressions was all I needed to know. Once Allura and Pidge had come in and helped me get back to mine and Shiro’s room...well...my room, I slid down against the shower wall with the water on full blast and hot enough to burn me if I wasn’t used to all but scalding water. Examining my arm and nails on my right hand, I frowned. They were getting long. I never kept them long. How long had I been in the med capsule? Upon further examining the changes on my skin, a scar stretching down my sternum caused my breath to catch. Images of a sword piercing through me made me thankful that I was already sitting down. Zarkon. Zarkon had done that. Right before Shiro had held me. Had seen me..seen me what. Die? I’m here now. What if I had been dead? If only for a few minutes.   
Letting out a shaky breath I struggled to remember what Shiro had done before everything went down. I remember his warmth. Him holding me. But after that...nothing. Only darkness and the muffled screams of attack while death dragged me closer. ‘Damn.’ Tears of anger pricked at the corners of my eyes. ‘After all of this, everything I went through to find him...he was ripped away from me. Again. And he’d been right there…’ Letting out a harsh sob, I punched the shower wall with my left arm, the porcelain shattering. Turning the water off, I wrapped myself tightly in a towel, the castle’s maintenance systems already making repairs.   
After drying off and getting back into my armor, which was much cleaner than I remembered it being, I tried in vain to reach out to Shiro with my mind. The best I got was a feeling of reassurance from the black lion. Even then I could feel the unease that the Alien ship like creature shared with me. What were we going to do without Shiro...Letting out a slow breath I rejoined the rest of the paladins in the control room, I wasn’t going to wallow in my sorrow and anger. I was going to do something about it. The Galra hadn’t stopped me yet. I’m not going to let them stop me now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this far. I will try and wrap this fanfiction up within the next 6 chapters. Could be more, could be less. I will try to keep updates about this length for a while so that I can try and update more often. Let me know what you all think. Your opinions matter to me. Thank you! <3


	6. Gonna be changed..

I need to know if you all want to me to continue this, if I get no feedback on this "Chapter" I will probably discontinue it for a while longer or permanently. If any future readers read and see this, comment and I will start up again assuming I have the right muse.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's back! (Or is he?)

The Galra hadn’t stopped me yet. I’m not going to let them stop me now .  
Months dragged by, the stress skyrocketing in the process. I’d continued to pilot the black lion in Shiro’s absence, praying that one day he’d come back. The training became more intense until we came across an broken down Galra fighter. Having pulled it into our gravitational pull, Keith and I had been the first to make it to the hanger, in full armor and weapons drawn nonetheless. Once the entrance to the fighter lifted from the main framing, Keith and I all but simultaneously dropped both our weapons, our single worded shout echoing throughout the castle.  
“Shiro!”  
Lifting his arms up on either side of us, I yelled the order for Allura to prepare the healing pod, Pidge hot on her tail with the scanners and vital tech. By the time we managed to get his unconscious body into the pod, everyone had already gathered in the medical wing. Emotions had yet to hit anyone, the only one that came through clearly was shock, plain and simple. Keith was the first to break the silence, his voice soft but still causing my gaze to jerk away from Shiro’s resting form.  
“The guy is like a fucking cockroach...Holy shit.” Pidge and Allura nodded their agreement while Lance and I gave almost silent chuckles.   
“I guess it’s a good thing too huh.” Shaking my head in disbelief, I looked to Pidge who was manning the sensors.   
“Anything out of the ordinary? And bugs or chips?” Pidge only tapped away at the screens before shaking her head no.   
Letting out a slow breath, I nodded and ran an anxious hand through my hair, Keith doing the same. Collapsing next to the healing pod, I covered my face with my hands, when had I started crying? Letting a small hiccup out, the tears kept streaming down my face, from what emotion specifically the tears where riding off of, I couldn’t tell. 

The following week was spent with either Keith or myself constantly by the pod. Even during the night we’d take turns waiting by his pod in shifts. On the end of the seventh day, Keith and I were in the middle of a brief conversation when the pods beeping rung in our ears. Between the two of us I don’t think we’d ever moved so fast, our arms reaching Shiro’s falling body just in time. At first he was unresponsive. Almost a full minute passed before he began coughing up the gel, his body swaying in an obvious state of dizziness that I knew all too well.  
Between the two of us, we slowly lowered him to the ground, letting him rest on his knees until he was ready to talk, expectedly talking didn’t work so well for him. Having a lot of time to prepare, I scooted back a little and grabbed a glass of water.  
Gently resting the edge of the glass against his lower lip, I let him realize what it was before lifting the bottom enough for the water to brush against his lips, it wasn’t long before he entirely downed the glass. Clearing his throat after a while, he slowly opened his eyes. For a moment I had to do a double take, his eyes weren’t their usual deep charcoal, instead they were bright yellow. The moment he blinked they changed back to what I’d expected. Had I just been seeing things? Was the lack of sleep getting to me?  
“How long have I been gone?....God I need a shower..” His voice hit every breath of doubt out of me. It was still him. It was still Shiro. My Shiro..Heaving him to his feet, Keith gave him a tight hug before stepping back again and helping me get him to my room. Except. It was our room again. Our room. God that was a pleasant thought….No more nightmares.   
The first shower with him back had been slow, easy going and far from heated. Having Shiro back was more than enough. Curled up in bed with him now, I gently rubbed my knuckles against his jaw in a soothing motion, kissing his cheek.  
“You’ve no idea how much I missed you..How much we all missed you.” Shiro’s expression twisted, something I’d never seen before. He looked conflicted between relieved and unimaginably angry in less then a second. Shaking it off as the exhaustion, I let the silence roll between us as he held me closer.  
Sleep had not been as pleasant as I hoped it would be. It had taken me hours to fall asleep and when I had all I could see in my dreams were the same piercing yellow eyes as before. They were far from gentle and warm, instead they flowed with hate, a cold harsh anger that shook me to the core. Eyes that promised a harsh, slow and cruel death. Eyes very very similar to Zarkons.   
Jerking awake, I could still hear my own gasp echo across the room and back. Sitting up and wiping the sweat from my brow I glanced over at Shiro. His expression was what shook me the most. He never had pleasant dreams, at least not pleasant enough that his grin stood in his sleeping expressions. Something wasn’t right. He wasn’t right. Maybe...hopefully it was the adrenaline from the nightmare talking. Except it wasn’t talking. It was screaming.   
Shifting as carefully out of bed as I could, I slid my armour and boots on, picking my blades up midstep and crept out of the room. ‘I’m not safe here...not with him...not anymore..’ No sooner had the thought left my mind had a sensation brushed against my mind from black. Not the usual warm, comforting nudges. This stung with warning, a shove at me to run. To get to the lion, to get somewhere safe.   
For the first time In a long time, fear coursed through my veins. My legs flew over the smooth flooring, my heart pounding so hard it made blood roar in my ears. Even knowing where the hangers where, knowing they were close, it seemed to stretch into miles, I could almost feel the pounding of footsteps echoing mine.   
Steps still pounding, I sprang into the hangar at a full sprint still, relieved to see that black was already lowered to let me in, the moment I stepped in past the entrance it slammed shut behind me.   
Silence spread through the hangar. Collapsing into the pilot's seat, I focused on returning my breathing to normal. By the time I realized I was falling asleep, it was too late to stop the next dreams from hitting me.   
If it hadn’t been for the haziness around my vision, I would have thought I was still awake. Still in the seat of the cockpit, Shiro was hovering over me, holding my face and repeating over and over for me to look at him, that I needed to focus.   
My head spinning from the dream state, I gripped his metal arm with my own synthetic arm.   
“Shiro...shiro slow down. What are you talking about?”  
His voice seemed off, distorted and echoing.   
“(Y/n) you have to listen to me. You aren’t safe with him.”  
The edges of my vision darkened again and before I could say anything else, Keith was shaking me awake.   
“(Y/N). (Y/N) wake up. What’s going on? Why are you in here? Everyone was tearing the castle apart looking for you..”   
“Keith. Somethings wrong. Something is really wrong.”  
“What do you mean something’s wrong? With what?”  
“Not what. Who. Something is wrong with Shiro. Shiro isn’t Shiro.”  
“What the hell are you talking about?”  
“Keith. His eyes. There’s something wrong. He’s going to turn on us. It’s not Shiro! Black pushed me to run from him! Keith he’s going to kill me.”   
Stopping, Keith ran a hand through his hair, starting to walk away before he pivoted on his foot and turned back to face me. “Are you absolutely positive?”  
Nodding slowly, I pushed my hair away from my face. Keith seemed to stop suddenly, his eyes bearing into my neck and under my eyes.   
“(Y/N), can I..Don’t move okay?” Watching him wearily, I held still as Keith moved my hair away from my neck, lifting my chin a little so he could further examine whatever it was he’d seen. Frowning, he let out a slow breath and dropped his hands. “You’re neck...you’ve got a bruise that wraps around your entire throat….like a hand.”   
Biting my lip, I gently felt the areas around my neck, taking everything I had not to flinch. Oh yeah...that was definitely bruised. My voice quieter now, I made sure to make eye contact this time.   
“Do you believe me now?...I didn’t even know they were there.” Keith stayed silent for a while, only giving a small nod. Pacing back and forth, Keith watched me for a long moment, it was clear that this wasn’t something on his ‘List of things he could handle’. Taking a slow breath, I reached out to Black with my mind, waiting for the reassurance before I spoke again. When the feeling brushed my mind, a small push of encouragement to go on with it.  
“I need you to get him in here. Tell him I need help...just..don’t stand too close behind him..Okay?” Raising an eyebrow, he gave a small nod and left the hangar. Going back to the pilot's seat, I did my best to even out my breathing and relax, feigning sleep.   
Reaching out with my mind, I waited until I heard the door of the hangar open, Black shutting everything out outside of the hangar. Soft footsteps hit my ears and I threw everything I could at the presence with my mind, dragging it into the void except...it wasn’t one mind but two. Shiro’s form loomed in front of me, his eyes however were the harsh yellow I’d seen before. The other presence I could only feel, it didn’t have a form persay.   
Drawing my twin swords, I held them crossed in front of my chest. A low rumbling sound hit my ears, it took me a moment to realize that the sound was in fact a growl. Taking a defensive stance, no sooner had I done so then ‘Shiro’ rushed me, a war cry bellowing from the large male. He still had the same abilities as Shiro, bayard, bionic arm and all.   
The second I intercepted his right arm with my blades, I realized my mistake. His forearm went right through the blades, shattering them into the void around us. His flesh hand grabbed the back of my hair, ripping at my scalp as he threw me down by the hold he had.   
Once I hit the ground gasping, I activated my own hand, its glow radiating in my vision. Forcing my legs to propel me back up and off the ground, I barely had time to intercept another harsh blow. His voice reverberated in my ear drums, except this time it didn’t sound like Shiro. This time it was deeper, colder and had a scratching edge to it, like the sound an old croan made right before she cackled.   
“I’m going to enjoy ripping you to little pieces girl. You should have stayed out of the way.” Before I could respond, he flashed forward with inhuman speed, his bionic hand wrapping around my throat and crushing the air out of me as he hurtled me into the ground, a visible crater around me as he kept crushing down on my airway.   
My vision was beginning to blur, pulsating in and out as I choked on my words.   
“Say hell-o to Zar-kon for me.” Coughing at the last word, I shoved my left hand through the joint of his right arm, disabling it as I hooked my right hand around with a dagger, embedding it between his ribs. His body collapsing onto mine, I threw my mind out again, pulling the second presence into my hold.   
Keeping the void open, I pulled the entity into the body of the imposter Shiro and just as quickly terminated the void. Jerking into my solid form, I was still coughing, Keith standing anxiously over me and Shiro, blood dripping down the latters side. Without managing to speak, I grabbed Keith’s arm and pushed him towards Shiro, motioning for him to get him to the med bay.   
Grabbing one side of the unconscious man, we ran with him between us as quickly as we could until we hit the med bay, Shiro was lowered into one capsule by Hunk and Keith. Pidge and Allura all but forced me into another, not that I was surprised, I hadn’t gotten a full breath in over three minutes and I knew my face was turning blue. Letting the gel submerge me, I released what little air I had left into it. If I died now, it wouldn’t matter. All that mattered now was that I’d been right. I could only hope I’d been fast enough to get him here with Keith.

 

-Shiro POV-  
Beeping. Why. What was beeping? Falling forward, I hadn’t gone far before a pair of arms caught me on either side. Opening my mouth to say something, I was cut off by a harsh cough that shook my body. A moment later the dizziness and ringing hit me. Slowly sinking to my knees, I took a moment to catch my breath and adjust to the light of the room, the ringing slowly fading away. The hands of both of my arms never left, just stayed where they were.   
Slowly opening my eyes, a small gasp left my lips as I realized who’d been holding me. Wrapping my arms tightly around (Y/N) and Keith, I faintly heard something about ‘Loosen up you’re crushing us’. Slowly pulling them both back so I could see them, I felt my face lift in a grin.   
“Thank you. All of you.” Looking up to the rest of the team, I made eye contact with all of them, realizing that tears were streaming down my face. All of our faces. (Y/N) slowly reached up and took both sides of my face in her hands. Almost like she couldn’t believe it, to be honest I didn’t really believe it either. Any second I expected to be ripped back into the void.   
“No Shiro...Thank you.” Leaning up on her knees, she pressed her lips softly against mine. Before she could pull back, I wrapped my arms around her tighter, pulling her flush up against me as I spoke softly, only loud enough for her to hear.   
“Kiss it all better?” I could feel her tears pattering against my bear thigh as she spoke softly in return.  
“Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking it out with me guys! I know the ending might have been a bit rushed but I hope you all liked it nonetheless. Please let me know what you thought of this ending and of the story as a whole! <33333

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think. I'll add what I have in chapters up until current. It's incomplete right now but I will finish it...eventually


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